TheJellyBeans.net
We love sailing on the Carnival Sunshine and these 13 tips
will help you enjoy her too. Our first tip is to enjoy breakfast and lunch at the
three Havana Bar area restaurants at the back of deck nine early in your cruise
when most cruisers are unaware that these options exist.
The first of these restaurants, JiJi Asian Kitchen
serves up complimentary made-to-order omelets and eggs for
breakfast and complimentary made-to-order stir-fry for lunch.
Be aware there are two lines for food at JiJi. The one on the starboard side, or
right side of the ship, tends to be shorter than the line closer to the
elevator lobby.
The second restaurant, Cucina del Capitano, also features
complimentary made-to-order food for lunch. Simply fill out a pasta bar order
form and hand it to the attendant. You'll receive a restaurant pager that will
alert you when your dish is ready.
Finally, the Havana Bar itself features a
complimentary small buffet of Cuban inspired foods for breakfast and lunch
that are great for a quick bite of something different.
We recommend hitting up these venues at the beginning of your trip when everyone
else is forming long lines for the Lido Marketplace buffet and the very popular
and delicious Guy's Burger Joint. Go to Guy's towards the end of the cruise, when
the burger lines are shorter and JiJi becomes much more popular.
Our next tip is to visit the secret decks at the front of the ship on decks 6 & 7, if you
want some quiet or alone time. You can access these secret outside areas by
going through any of the sets of doors near staterooms 6107, 6108, 7105, or 7106.
This area is an excellent
relaxation spot and also a great place to see ports, particularly when everyone
else is crowding the higher decks for a view. Another option for quiet time is
the outside deck areas on deck 3. The outside areas
are easily accessed from both sides of the Atrium and we usually only saw a
handful of other passengers there even on days at sea.
Our 3rd tip is to find
the afternoon tea on the days at sea and enjoy the best desserts on the ship.
The afternoon tea probably won't be listed in the What's Happening section of the
Fun Times so be sure to look for it under the Food section. In addition to
delicious desserts there are three free teas available: black tea, decaf, and green
tea. Other flavors are available for purchase or you can bring your own
favorite teas from home like we did.
You likely won't find our 4th tip in the
Fun Times at all. We never saw a listing in the Fun Times for the breakfast and
lunch buffets that are regularly available near the Ocean Plaza on deck 5.
These smaller buffets are a great way to avoid the crowds when grabbing a
bite to eat. This was particularly true for breakfast on port days.
Our next tip
is to avoid decks 3 and 4 if you want to easily walk inside from one end
of the ship to the other. There's simply no way to get around the ship's galley
between the Sunset and Sunrise dining rooms on deck 3, inside or outside. And if
the Limelight Lounge is closed for an event or activity, getting end to end on
deck 4 can be difficult, unless you use a shortcut we found. Just remember to find
Lifeboat 25 or Lifejackets 49 when looking for the re-entry doors.
Tip number 6 will help you drink like an adult again. Most of the self-service
drink stations on the Sunshine only provide small plastic cups that feel
like kids cups. If you prefer to feel like an adult while drinking ask for one
of the larger glasses from one of the bars or grab one from the self-service
beer station in the Lido Marketplace buffet.
Our next tip is to arrive at the
two main evening entertainment venues, the Limelight Lounge and the Liquid
Lounge, fairly early before showtime because both have seating issues to be
aware of. If you don't arrive early to the Limelight Lounge on deck 4, which
hosts karaoke, comedians, and more, you may find yourself sitting behind a pole or
off in a corner of the venue watching the act on a TV screen.
The Liquid Lounge
on decks 4 & 5 is home to the popular Playlist Production shows and several
other acts on the ship. The best view for the Playlist Production performances is
the flat seating area in front of the stage on deck 4. The shows are
specifically designed to look best from those seats and it's worth sitting there
even if you have to look between heads in front of you.
For other shows in the Liquid Lounge we recommend the stadium-style seating
along the sides of deck 4 and throughout deck 5. However, just like in the
Limelight Lounge, some seats have an obstructed view behind a pole
Our 8th tip is to take some time to figure out which elevators go where because it's
not always obvious. For example, the elevator area in the front of the ship
has some elevators that go all the way up to decks 12 and 14,
but others only go as high as deck 10. Likewise, some of those same elevators
go all the way down to deck 0, but the glass atrium elevators only go down to
deck 2. And be aware some elevator lobbies have two call buttons for going
up. One for a deck that all elevators go to and another for a higher
deck that only some of the elevators go to.
Our next tip will help you remember
the difference between where are the two main dining rooms, the Sunrise and Sunset
are located. Just remember that "rise" and "back" both have four letters and both
levels of the Sunrise Dining Room can be accessed by the back elevators.
Likewise, remember that "set" and "mid" both have three letters and the Sunset Dining
Room is located midship. But do not try to take the midship elevators to the
entrance. Those midship elevators will leave you
at the rear of the Sunset Dining Room, which is rarely open for entry. Instead
take the front elevators to the ship's atrium to find the restaurants main entrance.
Tip number 10 is to be prepared to receive anything when your food is
delivered to your table in the main dining rooms. You might find additional
ingredients that weren't listed, such as the load of mushrooms that weren't
advertised for the BBQ flatbread, or you might find listed ingredients completely
missing, such as the lack of almost everything on the Christmas salad. You
can try asking your server for clarification of a dish's ingredients
but be prepared to be surprised, especially if you have food allergies or aversions.
Our our next tip is to make sure you know where the bathrooms are
for your main dining room. If you're dining in the Sunrise Dining Room at the
back of the ship, you're in luck. The bathrooms are located near both
entrances of the dining room. If you're dining in the Sunset Dining Room, however
the bathrooms are located outside the restaurant, through the atrium, and past
the shore excursion desk. Take note that the stall doors and all
the bathrooms have occupancy indicators on them. If they are in use, and the
person inside has locked the door, the indicator is red. Also you'll find hand
dryers in the bathrooms, but you won't find paper towels. If you prefer drying
your hands with a paper towel, check the automatic hand washing stations in the
Lido Marketplace buffet area. Finally to minimize the spreading of sickness on
the ship, tissues are provided for guests to use while opening the bathroom door.
Tip number 12 is to think of the Sunshine more like a car than a ship
when trying to remember where things are on the top decks. The adults are in the
front, where you'll find the adult-only Serenity retreat, the spa, the gym, and
more. Meanwhile, the kids are in the back where you'll find Camp Carnival and the
other kids clubs, Water Works, Sports Square, and more. The middle is an area
designed for the whole family, featuring the pool, family hot tubs, and
nighttime poolside movies with popcorn.
There may not be a deck 13 on the
Sunshine but our 13th, and final tip, is to make sure you bring some games,
cards, or other forms of entertainment with you because the ship sometimes has
a limited number of activity options. In addition to what you bring on board,
there are table games tucked away in the Red Frog Pub on deck 5 and numerous
board games available in the Library Bar on deck 4. And if you ask nicely, Guest
Services may even give you a complimentary pack of playing cards.
We hope you enjoy your next trip on the Carnival Sunshine and who knows,
maybe we'll see you on board.